Over 200 civil society groups under the aegis of the Coalition of Civil Society Groups Against Poverty in Africa have urged President Bola Tinubu to sack the Group Chief Executive Officer, of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Engr. Mele Kyari, over fuel scarcity.
This came as an aftermath of what they alleged was a high level of incompetence and corruption in the oil sector, which had compounded the hardship Nigerians are facing.
This was disclosed by the National Spokesperson of CoSGAPA, Mr. Aderonke Adebisi during a world press conference recently held in Abuja.
Adebisi said they condemn vehemently the suffering of Nigerians, which he described as a man-made scarcity, in a ploy to stage Nigerians against the Tinubu Government and portray the President in a bad light to the world, according to The Authority.
He said, “We are pained and suspect acts of sabotage to the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reposition and restore Nigeria’s economy, but unfortunately, the actions of the Group Chief Executive Officer, GCEO, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Engr. Mele Kyari, tilt towards the way of a saboteur by allowing fuel scarcity to escalate and bringing about untold suffering on Nigerians and their businesses.”
The Civil Society groups also said that they will organize a nationwide protest across the country to demand the resignation or dismissal of the NNPCL GCEO, Engr. Mele Kyari.
The Civil Society groups also said they would mobilize their members across the nation for a nationwide protest to press for their demands for the resignation or sack of Engr. Mele Kyari, the NNPCL GCEO, and for a thorough investigation of key actors in the petroleum industry.
“The entire nation is engulfed with this scarcity, which has negatively impacted the Naira appreciation, prices of commodities are now beyond the reach of Nigerians, including high transport fares, inability to run their businesses, and the people are agitated because nobody is exempted. In fact, we have come to see and know about the abysmal performance of Kyari and his team, whereby the NNPC Limited has become an epicenter of controversy due to the misguided actions of Mele Kyari, which not only undermine President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda but also cast a shadow on the credibility of the National oil company.
“We call on you, Mr. President, today to demand Engr. Mele Kyari’s immediate sack or resignation from office as GCEO of NNPC Limited due to his deficiency in character required of his office and in a government that promises to renew the hope of Nigerians. The scarcity of fuel, necessitating an indiscriminate hike in price across the country, is a bitter taste for Nigerians to swallow. It is time for Mr. Kyari to go. We say in clear terms, that Kyari MUST go.
“It is in the best interest of our nation that Engr. Mele Kyari’s alleged corrupt tendencies are addressed promptly to safeguard the integrity of this administration and ensure that the objectives set for the NNPC Limited are pursued diligently and without any corrupt tendencies.
“Therefore, we are issuing a 7-day ultimatum to the GCEO of NNPC Limited, Engr. Mele Kyari, to resign from office, or else we will storm the NNPC headquarters with our members to protest against you and across the country.”
In addition, he said “President Tinubu has indeed distinguished himself as a man who truly loves Nigeria; his continued trips across the world to woo international investors to Nigeria cannot work with persons like Mele Kyari and his cohorts who, due to their selfishness, have continued to destroy the good image of our dear Nation with their corrupt ways.”